Youngwood Man Charged in Check Fraud
Posted By Bompiani Law Group LLC on Jan 31, 2010 8:18am PST
A Youngwood man is in Westmoreland County Prison on charges he used an ex-girlfriend's checks to defraud a local bank of more than $9,300.
Joseph A. Malago, 37, of 411 N. Fourth St., was arrested this week on two counts of theft and receiving stolen property, according to documents filed with Unity Township District Judge Michael Mahady.
County Detective Will Brown said that in January 2009, Malago deposited four checks from the woman's closed checking account into a savings account at Commercial National Bank & Trust in Unity. Malago then withdrew $9,300 and used $4,500 to purchase a vehicle, authorities said.
Malago's former girlfriend told police she was unaware of the scheme and "she was visibly upset that Malago would do this and implicate her in the theft of funds from the bank," according to court documents.
Malago was arraigned before Night Court District Judge Frank Pallone and held without bond after officials discovered Malago is wanted by authorities in Corpus Christi, Texas, on forgery and theft charges.
His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 12 before Mahady.
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